Global Information Assurance Certification, simply known as GIAC was founded in 1999 as a certification body by SANS Institute. The term itself licensed by the Escal Institute of Advanced Technologies. GIAC offers a wide variety of vendor-neutral certifications in computer security along with training courses delivered by the SANS. GIAC equips its candidates with the top-notch skill in IT security, to be always one step ahead of “black hat” methods. Since 2017, GIAC issued more than 89, 827 designations to candidates around the world. Its accreditations are valued and recognized by government agencies and numerous companies worldwide, because they prove your definite knowledge and skills and not the general knowledge of the infosec area. All GIAC designations are valid for 4 years.
The GIAC certification program is available in such tracks as the following ones:
Offensive Operations
The certifications included in this group validate, that you are able to demonstrate essential offensive abilities and are able to join purple, red, and penetration testing teams. The first sub group includes the GIAC Certified Incident Handler, GIAC Enterprise Vulnerability, and GIAC Python Coder designations. The second subgroup contains GIAC Foundational Cybersecurity Technologies and GIAC Defending Advanced Threats certifications. The third subgroup comprises 6 accreditations, some of which are GIAC Penetration Tester, GIAC Mobile Security Analyst, and GIAC Web App Penetration Tester.
To be more precise the GCIH (Certified Incident Handler) designation testifies that you are able to fix computer security incidents using your knowledge and skills. It’s an ideal choice for Incident handlers, security architects and practitioners, system admins, to name a few. You will need to take the practical testing, known as CyberLive, and then pass the GCIH exam. The exam is available in two modes: onsite proctoring through PearsonVUE and remote proctoring with the help of ProctorU. Concerning the salary, you can get $78,791 per annum, as indicated on the Payscale website.
Cyber Defense
These accreditations prove that you as well as your team are qualified enough in securing the enterprise. This implies that you are capable of protecting your organization from the latest threats, despite the level of your needs in the area of defense, be it beginner, advanced, or specialized. The designations offered fall into three subgroups:
- Blue Team Operations certifications: GIAC Open Source Intelligence, GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst, GIAC Certified Detection Analyst, to mention a few.
- Cyber Defense Essential Certifications: GIAC Certified Incident Handler, GIAC Information Security Fundamentals, GIAC Certified Enterprise Defender.
- Purple Team Certifications: GIAC Foundational Cybersecurity Technologies, GIAC Defending Advanced Threats.
The GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst (GCIA) certification verifies your skills to create and deal with intrusion detection systems, work with network traffic and associated log files. This designation is suitable for system and security analysts, network admins and engineers, and practical security managers. To become a certified professional, you need to take the CyberLive practical testing, and pass the GCIA exam. The average salary with this certification is about $73,952 yearly, according to the PayScale platform.
Cloud security
These certifications validate your ability to secure systems and apps in the cloud against the most harmful threats. This group contains five Cloud Security Techniques certifications, such as GIAC Cloud Security Essentials, GIAC Cloud Security Automation, among many, and the GIAC Cloud Penetration Tester accreditation that refers to the Cloud Penetration Testing Certifications subgroup. The latter one testifies your competence in providing cloud-centered penetration testing and evaluates your ability to secure networks, architecture, systems, and cloud technologies. Having this designation, you can earn annually about $110,673 per year.
Industrial Control Systems
Since attacks on industrial infrastructure happen more often and their damage is great, there's a need for well-prepared infosec teams to cope with such threats. Certified individuals are skilled in securing critical industrial systems, and responding to threats occurred. This group contains only 3 designations, such as Global Industrial Cyber Security Professional, GIAC Response and Industrial Defense, and GIAC Critical Infrastructure Protection.
The Global Industrial Cyber Security Professional certification testifies the knowledge & understanding of different professionals that are engaged in supporting and engineering control systems and are jointly responsible for protecting the given environments. This accreditation is a perfect choice for security engineers, industry manages, ICS Security analysts and ICS IT practitioners. To gain this designation, you will need to pass the GICSP exam and know its exam objectives. The average salary you can get after passing this GIAC exam is about $61,042, according to the PayScale website.
Digital Forensics and Incident Response
Such certifications prove that you are knowledgeable of how to define and respond to threats in a timely manner, as well as find elusive threats. This group contains two subgroups of designations: one includes the Operating System & Device In-depth accreditations, such as GIAC Battlefield Forensics and Acquisition, GIAC Certified Forensic Examiner, and GIAC Advanced Smartphone Forensics. The second subgroup consists of the Incident Response and Threat Hunting certifications. All in all, it includes 6 of them, such as GIAC Certified Forensic Analyst, GIAC Network Forensic Analyst, to name a few.
The GIAC Certified Forensic Analyst certificate or GCFA testifies the main skills needed to gather and analyze data computer systems. The ideal candidates for this certification include threat hunters, SOC analysts, information security professionals, and incident response team members. To earn this designation, you need to pass CyberLive practical testing, and then complete the GCFA exam. After that, you are eligible for the annual salary of about $91,820, as stated on the PayScale website.
Management, Legal, and Audit
Leadership is a necessary condition for protecting business at each level. To manage an infosec team effectively, managers need to have a solid knowledge and general managements skills. The certifications included in this part proves that you are competent in leading security teams, communicating with business leaders and tech teams, and enhancing the security of your organization. Three subgroups are present here, such as Management certifications (GIAC Certified Project Manager ($104,730 per year), GIAC Security Leadership); Legal certifications (GIAC Law of Data Security & Investigations); Audit Certifications (GIAC Systems and Network Auditor ($118,498 per annum), GIAC Critical Controls Certification).